Contagious
by Fang lover23
Summary: Post TFW. Max and the gang are in Europe. Her and Fang try to figure out their relationship. After their 'talk', love spreads and soon it reaches other people. some language possible. T for safety. first fanfic. major FAX. Chapter 6 Pt. 2 up! I'm BACK!
1. Chapter 1

A/N: I'm new, and this is my first fanfic

**A/N: I'm new, and this is my first fanfic. Sorry if any characters seem OOC, but it'll make sense as the story goes on. So, here it is- the feast de resistance…..lol.**

Hey, it's Max. Again…

It's been a while since we went to Antarctica and helped stop Global Warming- over a year. Things have kind of died down; we're only in the press about once a month. Even then, it's only about new bills being considered and how we inspired Congress-people to think them up.

The world's pretty much the same, but we still see snippets of news on the little TV we glimpse about new research going on to develop new ways of defeating global warming. Yeah, I'll believe it when I see it.

The flock- oh jeez, how they've grown. Angel hasn't developed any new powers- no one has, except for Fang, who got my super speed (from the blood transfusion a while back). Angel gets more mature everyday, her hair growing longer as she inches her way taller. I really can't believe she's only seven.

Gazzy has developed, too. He and Iggy are working on ways to develop bombs that are safe to carry, but pack a punch when detonated. They actually singed their eyebrows off during one experiment with different chemicals. I'll spare you the details in between, but let me tell you, that was one bomb that I was glad they blew up. Being nine made it funnier.

Nudge has grown to be absolutely gorgeous. She still looks like a short-ish model when she cleans up. I swear, she could pass for a sixteen-year-old and she's only twelve. Guys have actually followed her with their eyes, but Fang and Iggy always defend her, daring one of the 'pervs' (as they call them) to get any closer.

Iggy is still my blind pyro chef. He looks like he's gotten taller, even though he was already six-foot-two. It's probably my imagination. He and Fang have gotten closer, more brotherly than I've ever seen them; and that's saying something. His hair is still strawberry blonde, and he still looks like a three-scoop ice cream cone- tall and skinny.

Lastly- Fang. I've actually had enough time to think about him. I just don't know _what_ to think. We've been hanging out more. For some reason, Fang looks- wait, not necessarily happier, per say, but calmer, more relaxed around me. He cracks a smile more often than he used to, but other than that, we communicate the old fashioned way- nonverbally. We know each other too well.

Since the whole speech-in-front-of-Congress thing, we've grown, so our looks have changed; we're not frequently recognized anymore. We just try to stay away from all the big cities.

Right now, all six of us (we left Total and Akila at mom's for fear of carrying 60 pounds of dog on our backs) were at a small hotel in Italy. Why Italy, you ask? We're not ready to face the US just yet. We decided to go international for the next several months or so, and Italy is the first stop on our European tour- there aren't any Itex facilities here, or anywhere else for that matter.

As we settled into our rooms- girls in one, boys in the other- I was headed to the shower in my room. I almost- _almost_ jumped for joy at the feel of the hot water.

Ten minutes later, I got out, reluctantly, got dressed and went back to my room.

"Boys," I called through their door (our rooms are adjoining), "Meeting. Now."

One by one, they came in, my girls already at my side. We all sat down on the two beds as I prepared myself for my announcement.

"Okay guys, listen up," I began. "I've decided that we can take a break from our hectic life. We need a vacation, and this one will last a long time. We may move away from here, but it'll be because we'll want to go someplace else for fun." Cheers erupted all around me, except for Fang, who grinned, lighting up our little huddle. "Anyway, I just want you guys to enjoy this. Now go have fun!"

Angel caught up with me after everyone started to scatter. "Max, Nudge and I are going to the boys' room to play some video games."

I had my suspicions, but I let it slide, this time. "Okay, Ange, just try to go easy on them." I smiled.

"Okay, Max!" she grinned mischievously.

I watched them all leave. Iggy, Angel, Nudge, Gazzy……aww crap.

I turned to the other bed to find Fang sitting there, not joining the others. Those little buggers.

He looked up at me, so I looked up as well, and we just stared. It wasn't one of those creepy, awkward, stalkerish stares, but we tried to say what we needed to through our eye contact. Then Fang broke the silence.

"So," he asked cautiously, "Where are we?"

I knew where he was going with this, so I faked by saying, "Italy, Fang--"

"Max," he warned, "You know what I mean. Where's the _us_ in you and me? We need to make a decision. Now, for the kids' sakes. They don't need us confused about each other, with our thoughts muddled. Tell me what you think of _us_, Max."

Okay, I couldn't help it, I stared at him. He rarely makes a speech this long, and never on a subject as mushy as feelings. This is Fang we're talking about. I looked down at my jeans a couple seconds later, not answering him.

Instead, he got up, grabbed my hand and led me onto the balcony outside the room. What I saw made my mind go _floop. _

Fang and I were facing the most beautiful, magnificent, gorgeous sunset. I never would've thought I would see something in nature that was so magical.

"It's beautiful," I gushed to Fang, my eyes transfixed on the setting sun.

"Yeah, but that's an understatement," he replied. "But not as beautiful as you," I heard him mumble under his breath.

I thought my heart would stop right then and there. I jerked my head around to ask him if he really said that, but I got caught in his gaze, his face less than a foot away from mine. His chocolate brown eyes were pulling me in. I was stunned. I never really realized how dark Fang's eyes were, but at the same time, they were shining so bright I thought I would keel over from all the fantastical beauty.

As I struggled for words, I was subconsciously away that we were leaning toward each other, closing what little space was between us.

Without warning, Fang reached out, grabbed me and pulled me close to his hard, muscular chest, embracing me in a warm hug. My brain shut down, but it still returned the hug, nuzzling my face closer to him. He smelled so darkly sweet, and I never wanted to let go.

As I thought that, he pulled away slightly and leaned in again. I closed my eyes and as Fang's lips gently brushed mine, my mind went blank- so I wrapped my arms around his neck to deepen our kiss.

**If anyone wants to help with my stories, please feel free to ask….I'm new so I may need help figuring all this out.**

**Peace, love and dreams of Edward.**


	2. Chapter 2

Oh, crap, I didn't put a disclaimer in last chapter so here it is:

**Sorry it took so long to update. I was reading New Moon ****and**** Eclipse. Plus I had to babysit. **

**I didn't put a disclaimer in last chapter so here it is:**

**I do not own Max Ride. Wish I did, but I don't. I only own the plot and my copies of the books.**

**By the way, in case you're wondering, the story will be in Max's POV unless stated that it's someone else's.**

**Chappie 2:**

What felt like an eternity-but at the same time seconds- later, we came up for air, gasping for breath.

I looked into Fang's eyes, looking for something to explain why that kiss just happened. I saw a flood of emotion, something I've never seen happen before. Fang is usually very unemotional, now, it's like it's not even him.

By this time, the sun had fully gone down, and night surrounded us. I noticed this and tore my gaze from him, surprised at how long the kiss really lasted. I looked back at Fang and he looked as surprised as I felt. "Uh…um, I, um…." I stammered. I felt like an idiot so I made a move to run away. Fang seemed to anticipate my running away (how could either of us forget) and he tightened his grip around my middle, trapping me to his chest.

"You're not going anywhere, Max. No running away this time." Fang sounded very authoritative, stern. I didn't want to disobey. "You have to face this now. What are you feeling?"

I wracked my brain for a coherent answer. Fang was my best friend and my brother. On the other hand, I really, _really_, like him, maybe even love. I don't know. He could like me the way I really like him, but then again, it could all blow up in my face. But he kissed me! That must mean what I think it means.

I finally caved. "I'm feeling confused." I told him. "Fang, you're like a brother to me; you always have been. I think I have feelings for you, but I don't want to mess this up our friendship by having too many feelings. I want you to feel the same way I do about you, but I don't want to force you into anything-"

"Whoa, Max! Slow down! One Nudge is enough. I just wanted to know if you like me or not- whether you want to try this out or not. What do you say?" Wow. Fang sure told me.

Oh here we go. "Well," I started, "The truth is…I do like you, Fang." He smiled his priceless smile, and my world lit up like a thousand white-hot stars- and yet the sun set a half hour ago. I knew then that I was right to choose Fang- he was as perfect as an Avian-American could get.

"Max, I-"

"Max," Gazzy came out onto the balcony. "Can we go down to- oh sorry."

I disentangled Fang's arms from around my waist quickly and bent down to Gazzy's level. "What was that Gaz?" I asked with my patience wearing thin.

"Oh, right. Can me and Iggy, Nudge, and Angel go get some food downstairs?" **(A/N: there's a restaurant in the hotel)** He had an angelic smile on his face.

I sighed and looked back at Fang momentarily. His face was void of emotion once again. Looking again at the Gasman, I took a deep breath, stood up and told him, "Okay…yeah, that's fine. But don't go overboard with a boatload of food **(OMG I just got that)" **I used my leaderly warning tone for that part. "Remember, we're 'regular' people here. Order normal amounts of food for now. Let me go get my card real quick-"

"Oh, that's okay," the Gazzer said. "Iggy took your card already." He said it like they've done it a million times before; like I was stupid to think they hadn't. I knew they had, but why was I so surprised that they did? Oh, right. The…_kiss_…with Fang wiped my mind of all the things that mattered at that moment. Right. Nothing out of the ordinary.

As Gaz left, I turned back to Fang. His features turned soft as he looked confused and asked, "Where were we?"

**(Iggy POV)(OMG!!)**

Wow. I'm the blind one. Yet I'm the one who manages to swipe Max's card first and fastest. Not that I'm complaining…

Me, Nudge, Gasser, and Angel were headed down the stairs to go get some grub. We may have been on the eleventh floor, but elevators and/or small enclosed spaces freak us out. Taking the stairs is better exercise anyway, and it gives us time to think.

_Angel?_ I asked her mentally.

_Yeah, Ig?_

I did the routine question. _Do you pick up any evil/ mad scientist-type stuff here?_

_No_, she replied. There was a pause. A few seconds later she answered again. _Definitely no. There are quite a few people here, but mostly couples and several tourists, European ones. No evil activity. _

_Thanks_, I told her. _By the way, what floor are we on?_

_Oh, the fourth_. I should've known by the sound of our footsteps echoing off the stairwell walls. _Oh, and speaking of couples, what's with Fang and Max right now? _

Angel hesitated. Then I heard her giggle out loud. _They kissed right before Gazzy told them where we were going. Now they're 'discussing' their relationship._

_You fiend_, I gasped in mock horror. _You planned this little trip well._

_Thanks, Iggy._ I could almost feel the waves of accomplishment rolling off of her.

We finally hit the ground floor and headed down a pretty long hallway. As we got farther down the hall, I (and most likely the other three) could hear chatter in all sorts of languages- French, English, Spanish, and maybe Italian or German. It wasn't necessarily thunderous in the restaurant, but it was a place that I probably wouldn't be comfortable in.

Nudge and Gazzy led me to a table, while I was toting Angel. We all sat down and Nudge started reading off menu items; I occasionally nodded my head when something sounded good. It was something Fang would've usually done, but I settled for Nudge, seeing as how Momma and Poppa were upstairs 'discussing'.

I gave Nudge my order and Gaz and Ange joined her to go up to the counter to get our food.

As they went up, I decided to try to listen to what was around me. The restaurant sounded very open, so it could've been like a café- it had a Starbucks-y feel to it. I touched the wall my chair was up against; it was a warm brown color- like mocha brown. The table top was round and felt like black colored wood with the same brown as the walls in a circle in the center. The chairs were tall, the frames made of…black metal; the cushions were dark tan and poofy.

I imagined the register line was long because there were many people here. I had some time before they got back. I did a quick 360, just out of curiosity, to better take in- er, listen to- my surroundings. People around me were chatting idle chatter: I heard about malls, the newest electronic craze, how fabulous the food was, from the English speaking people; just about anything you could talk about conversationally in a restaurant.

After I listened to random conversations around me for a while, I tuned it all out and looked down at where I thought my hands were folded up on the table. I let my mind wander, focusing on nothing in particular. Sooner than I wanted, the kids returned with the food, dropping three large trays of food on our table.

It took little time to sort out our plates and drinks. After a half minute, I was digging into my sizzler steak and garlic red-skin mashed potatoes, drinking occasionally from my Diet Pepsi. It was almost painful to eat at the normal, human pace we ate at- we didn't want to be conspicuous. I could almost feel Gazzer's anxiousness to inhale his food to my right; I felt for him.

Twenty minutes later, we were done with our 'meals'. We were still starving, but we could last for another hour or so.

Nudge and Gazzy offered to return the plates while Angel brought up the drinks, leaving me to myself. While the kids were away, I felt a polite tap on my shoulder. I turned around to where I felt the tap. "Yes?" I asked.

"Excuse me," a female voice answered. "Do you know what time it is?" it asked politely.

Wow, this is ironic. "No, I'm sorry," I told her. "Telling time can be difficult for me."

She paused, and then stifled a gasp. "Oh my gosh! I am so sorry! I had no idea you were blind!" she whisper-yelled sincerely and hysterically at the same time.

"No, it's okay," I reassured her, "I get it all the time. I've been blind so long that I'm able to do stuff normal people do."

"Like what?" she asked curiously.

"I can cook. I'm the best cook in my family."

"Really? That's so cool! By the way, my name's Alice. Alice Evans." I heard her raise her hand for me to shake.

I took her hand and shook it. "I'm Jeff. It's nice to meet you."

"It's nice to meet you, too." Then she sounded surprised, like a delayed reaction. "How do you do that? Like, the shaking-hands-when-you-can't-see-them thing?"

"I've had years of practice. I use my ears to pick up small noises. My hearing is stronger because I'm blind." I tapped my left ear with my left pointer finger.

"Oh, that's nice."

I was really starting to like this girl. But as my luck would have it, Angel came by the table.

"Hey, Jeff, you ready- oh, who's this?" She was talking about Alice.

"Oh, Ariel," using our fake names, "This is Alice. Alice, this is my little sister, Ariel."

"Nice to meet you Ariel," Alice returned.

Angel turned back to me. "Jeff, are you coming up with us?"

I thought for a second. "I'll catch up with you in a minute." Then I remembered. "Oh, by the way, what room number are we and what time is it?" I smiled at Alice when I said the last part.

Angel paused, most likely looking at her watch. "Our room number is 1127 and it's about 8:30(p.m.)."

"Thanks. I'll see you later," I waved at her.

"Okay," she said skeptically. I hear her little footsteps fade as she joined Nudge and Gazzy to go upstairs.

I turned back to Alice. "Would you like to come up to my room with me? We could talk along the way. But, do you need to ask your parents first?"

"Oh, no," she said, "I'm alone on this trip. I don't have parents anymore." She sounded upset.

"I'm really sorry. I'm alone, too. Most of my brothers and sisters, as well as me, didn't know our parents." I sympathized with her. "Well, would you like to come up to my room and hang out?"

"Yeah," I could hear the smile in her voice, "I'd like that."

I got up out of my chair; Alice grabbed my wrist and led me out of the restaurant. She took a right, which was _away_ from the stairs. My heart rate went up a couple of notches. "Where are we going?" I asked Alice suspiciously.

"The elevator, silly." I didn't think this was funny.

"No! Please- I mean, I don't like elevators. You know, claustrophobia." I explained. "I don't like enclosed spaces. Can we take the stairs?"

"Yeah, of course," she agreed. "No problem."

We headed back toward the stairs and began to ascend to the room. It was silent for a little bit, so I asked Angel about Alice. _Angel, do you pick up anything from Alice?_

**Nope**, she said after a few seconds. _She's just a normal teenager who's on vacation._

_Thanks. Oh, are we meeting in the boys' room…or are Fang and Max still going at each other?_

_Yeah, meet us in your room. Fang and Max are still talking._

_Yeah. It'll be more fun to listen stealthily anyways._

I swear I heard her giggle in her head.

I asked Alice, "What floor are we on?"

"The tenth," she replied. Good, one more floor.

As we exited the stairwell, Alice took my hand in hers as we made our way down the hall toward room 1127. "Well here it is," she proclaimed after a ways of walking.

"Yep." I knocked on the door four times. "Gaz! Open the door!"

He opened it quickly, grabbed me and Alice and thrust us into the room, shutting the door just as quickly as he opened it. "What the hec-"

"Shush!" He held a finger to his lips. "Quiet! We're listening to Max and Fang!"

"Who are Max and Fang?" Alice whispered to me behind her hand.\

"They're my older brother and sister. They make a great couple- we all know it- but they're blind to the fact that they truly love each other."

"Oh."

Gazzy giggled. He was at the sliding glass door, from what I could tell, shaking with silent laughter. "Oh man, you guys have gotta listen to this!" he whispered.

I grabbed Alice's hand, brought her to the floor with me and I leaned against the slightly open glass door. Gazzy told me there was a concrete barrier three and a half feet high between our balcony and Max and Fang's, so we wouldn't be seen from where we crouched.

Nudge was positioned at the door adjoining our two rooms in case they came inside.

This was going to be fun.

**Holy crow! That was six pages of Microsoft Word for all you reviewers! I have carpal tunnel because of you guys!! But you know I love you all!**

**Anyway, I don't really have all of chapter 3 laid out, but I have ideas. It could be next week before I update, but also because I go to my dad's house this weekend.**

**Reviews are appreciated!!**

**Peace, love and dreams of Eclipse chapter 20! LOL for all the people who've read that book! )**


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: I do not own Max Ride, if I was JP, would I be writing fanfiction about my own work

**Disclaimer: I do not own Max Ride. If I was JP, would I be writing fanfiction about my own work?**

(Max POV)

"Where were we?" Fang asked.

I didn't answer him. I turned around and went to the opposite side of the balcony. I crossed my arms over my chest and kept my back to Fang; I looked out toward where the sun had set. Under the glow of the moon, I could see the light off of the Mediterranean Sea- we were closer to the coast than I thought.

We both waited ten minutes to make sure the kids were downstairs. It was silent for the whole wait and neither of us moved.

Fang made the first move. He slowly walked my way and wrapped his arms around my waist from behind. He leaned his chin on my left shoulder, but I stayed like a statue- keeping my arms crossed and staring straight ahead.

"Max." Fang cooed in his irresistible, velvety voice. "I have something to tell you."

I still didn't move. I wasn't mad; I was just at peace, cooling off. I heard Fang sigh, so he probably rolled his eyes, too. He grabbed my shoulders and forcefully turned me around to face him. "Max, listen to me," Fang urged. He took my face in both of his hands and _made_ me look into his eyes. "Max! This is probably the most important thing I've ever told you. Will you listen for a minute?"

Once he stopped talking, I really looked at his face. I saw the pleading in his deep chocolate brown eyes; it made me calm down instantaneously. "What is it you wanted to tell me, Fang?" I asked in a little bit of a daze.

"Max," Fang began cautiously. Uh oh. "I know we've been through a lot together, especially since the whole Angel thing." He must've been trying to get to me. We all remembered that day- Angel was stolen by the hell hounds of the School; it was the day our lives were all but destroyed. "Max," he paused and looked down.

"Max, I love you."

My heart about stopped right there, but it, at the same time, ticked up so many notches that I thought Mom would be able to hear it in Arizona. I felt my breath leave me as if I'd just been head-butted by a Flyboy. Heat immediately rushed up to my face and I saw the side of Fang's mouth twitch up infinitesimally.

I stood there staring at Fang stupidly for who knows how long. Finally, the neurons in my brain connected enough to allow me to speak. "Fang, I-"

But I didn't have the chance to finish. At that moment, Fang had crushed his lips to mine, throwing all chance of coherent thought out the window.

Oh, God. Kissing Fang must have been what heaven is like- flying through the clouds (no pun intended). His warm lips moved with mine as I kissed him back. He tasted darkly sweet; he was addicting and all I wanted right then was him. As our kiss intensified, I tangled my fingers in Fang's soft, shaggy, raven-black hair while he tightened his sculpted arms around me, pulling us even closer. Then he lifted me up, sitting me back down on the balcony ledge, never breaking our kiss. Suddenly, Fang grabbed both of my legs and hitched then onto either side of his hip. I took a quick intake of breath and get this…I think I moaned with pleasure. I felt Fang's lips- still glued to mine- twist up into a smile, making my heart melt.

Fang finally pulled away slowly, keeping his face a couple inches from mine. I heard a whimper escape my lips and Fang's eyes lit up mischievously. He started my jaw with kisses, continuing down my neck and to my collarbone, stopping at the indentation at the base of my neck. He stroked my hair but kept going, stroking my shoulders and eventually letting his hand rest on my hip. Fang kissed me once more, this time, though, his lips were softer and the kiss was slower, sweeter. It was a lot shorter, but as we pulled apart, our breathing was fast, like we'd run a mile in four minutes.

As we looked into each other's faces, my thoughts were interrupted.

_Max, is this what you really want?_

_Yes, Voice, it is._

_I thought you were confused about him?_

_What is this? 20 Questions? Kiss my ass, Voice._

_Max-_ it warned, but I tuned it out as I thought about what it said.

I gently pushed on Fang's chest to allow myself to get off of the ledge. I landed lightly and I turned around to the ever darkening sky; Fang was at my side a moment later and he put one arm around my shoulder. I politely shrugged it off, but Fang looked concerned. "Max, did I do something wrong?"

He did the exact opposite. "No, Fang, you did something right. But…" I stopped, not knowing how to say what I needed to.

"But…" Fang encouraged me.

"But, are we going to make this work?" I still had doubts about our relationship, even after that glorious kiss. "I don't want to make a mistake and screw this up and then have us divided again. Fang, I want you to tell me if _we_ can work out."

Fang grinned a holy grin, "Max, if you think it will work out, it will. I'm with you whatever you want to do."

"I know, I just don't want this to explode out of proportion. I want us to be happy, together. I want the flock to be happy. But I don't want to get together if it means we're unstable later. It's-"

"So you don't love me?" He looked crushed.

"Fang…Oh, God, no! I do, it's just that I want to do what's best for the flock…"

"Oh, I get it!" Fang looked cheesed. Not. Good. "You want to keep the flock all happy-go-lucky, but don't want them to have a 'father' figure to look up to when they need it most? Max you're very stressed all the time, so let me in you life so I can help the kids! They need someone else to look up to-"

"Are you saying that I don't know how to raise my own flock? How dare you! I may not have birthed any of 'em, but I'm damn sure the closest thing to a mother and older sister that _any_ of them have ever had." I was getting pissed; I wanted to stop fighting, but I kept the argument going. "Fang, how can I be sure we'll work out if you went running off westward when Ari was with us? How can I be sure you won't do it again?! The kids don't deserve a role model like that!" I paused. What came out of my mouth next shocked and horrified me.

"Maybe because of that, they don't deserve you." I instantly regretted saying that, and I wouldn't've minded if Fang, literally, killed me right then.

However, his face was its natural blankness, and then he spoke calmly. "Fine, Max. If that's what you think, your wish is my command." He bowed like a butler…I could tell where this was going. "After all, I promised to go along with whatever you wanted. I keep my promises you know." He stood up straight again.

In the next second, he hurled himself off the balcony into the black, velvety darkness below. I heard a _whoosh_ of wings and desperately looked over the side to try and find him.

"NO!" I screamed. "Oh God, Fang! NO!!" I knew it was no use. He was wearing all black anyway, and he would make sure to keep out of the moonlight, which come to think of it was gone, seeing how it clouded over.

Great.

I couldn't believe it. Fang was gone again. Why did I push him away? He's my second in command and the love of my life. I hated to see him hurt. Especially if it's my doing.

I contemplated about whether or not to go after him, but he would be invisible in the inky-blackness of this Italian night. Plus, he had my superspeed, so he could be in France by now.

The wind suddenly picked up, goosebumps rising from the skin on my forearms, but I stood there, letting the chill envelope me. I deserved it. I deserved the cold if all I did was push Fang away. Tears were welling up in my eyes, but I dared one to escape my eyes, thus breaking me down. I blinked them away after a minute and headed inside, not bothering to shut or lock the sliding door.

Once inside, I actually took off my t-shirt, leaving me in my tank top and capris; I didn't care about the cold. Without Fang, my whole world was ice.

I went to the bathroom and shut the door, as closed as it would go with the little enthusiasm I put into slamming it. I couldn't really care less at this point.

I then got in the bathtub and bulled my knees tight to my chest. I leaned back and tried to empty my mind of all that happened.

Who am I kidding? What had I done? Had I finally pushed him too far away, one final time? Would he ever come back?

I looked at my possibilities: He could come back, but ignore me, pretend I don't exist. He could never come back, but it wouldn't split us up- I shuddered anyway. He could come back, try to hurt me as much as I hurt him. So many choices….

I couldn't stand this pain! It was eating me alive.

I looked around frantically as if the answer to my situation was in this 3-star Italian bathroom. My eyes caught a glimpse of something silver and shiny. I was looking at the faucet for the tub. Curiosity overwhelmed me as I slowly reached for the tap.

**(Fang POV)**

"Fine, Max. If that's what you think, your wish is my command." I bowed; I knew I was in deep shit now, but she deeded to stop pushing me away. "After all, I promised to go along with whatever you wanted. I keep my promises you know." I turned away from Max and catapulted myself over the edge of the balcony, unfurling my wings as I fell.

But I didn't fly off. Instead, I downstroked a couple of times to that I could cling to the underside of the balcony. Max wouldn't've been able to see me anyway, so I was in the clear for now.

"NO! Oh God, Fang! NO!!" I heard her shout. She sounded frantic. I couldn't blame her; I was too harsh and I promised to never split us up again. She needed me to stay here, but I was staying under here to chill for a bit. Flying would've been better, but I probably would've stayed away for a few days, worrying Max and the flock more than necessary.

After a few minutes, I heard Max walk inside. I waited patiently for ten more minutes to make sure she was calmed down a little bit. Slowly but surely, I opened my wings and flapped twice so I could get over the ledge and land on the balcony.

Once I tucked my wings against my back, I noticed that the sliding door was open, letting a cool breeze into the hotel room. I would've thought Max would lock the door- she probably thought I wasn't coming back.

I stepped inside, went right to the adjoining door and knocked on it. "Guys, you back?" I asked the kids- if they were there.

Iggy answered, "Yeah, man. Hey, how are you and Max, wink, wink?"

Joy, he had a death wish. I would be all too happy to oblige. "Iggy, I need to talk to you guys. Unlock the door, please." I heard a click and Iggy opened the door to allow me inside.

"Okay, man. What happened?"

"First of all," I questioned. "What did you all- wait, who's she?" I pointed to a brown-haired girl who was holding Iggy's hand.

"Oh," she explained. "I'm Alice; I met Iggy downstairs."

"Gotcha. So, what part of that," I jerked my thumb toward the other balcony, "Did you see?" They were still all crouched on the floor.

Nudge of course answered that. "Oh, Fang! You and Max are so cute! We saw the whole make-out session! You guys can kiss for a long time! How do you breathe? Do you need practice? Was that your guys' first kiss? Oh! No, it wasn't because Max kissed you on the beach-" Alice, of all people, clamped her hand over the Nudge channel.

"_Thank_ you!" Gazzy commented.

"So," I continued, "Has max seen any of you since she came inside?"

No one said anything and I turned to Angel. She was doubled over as if in serious pain.

"Angel, what is it?" I picked her up, cradling her in my arm, and held her close. She was Max's baby, so I tried my best to comfort her. "Is it Max?"

"I don't know," she whimpered, "Maybe, but all I feel is pain, from _some_one's mind. Fang, please make it stop!!"

Time to be leader. "Okay, Angel, listen to me." Her tear-rimmed baby blue eyes looked up at me, wide open and round. "I'm going to set you down," I told her calmly, "Okay? Just try to close your eyes and rest."

"Okay." It came out as a soft squeak.

I set her down on one of the beds in the room. "Everyone just stay her for now," and I walked back into the other room, closing the door behind me.

I looked around the room for a clue as to where Max could be. I checked under the beds, in the closet, even outside the main door. Nothing. I finally went to the bathroom door. One problem- water was creeping out from under the door, soaking the carpet at my feet. My adrenaline pumped and my brain went into overdrive.

"Iggy!" I called loudly but calmly.

He came in and shut the door. "Yeah?"

"Get the kids out of here," I told him in a low voice, so the others wouldn't hear. "Give them this," I held up 30 Euros. "Tell them to do with it what they want- candy, sugar, soda, I don't care. They can go to the pool! Whatever! Just get them out of that room. Have Alice go with them. They seem to like her. I need you to stay here with me," I answered his confused look. "Come right back." I waited. "Go!"

"Oh. Right."

He left and I was alone again in the room, overloading my brain trying to figure out a plan.

I hesitantly took the bathroom door handle, afraid of what I might see. I looked down at the water coming under the door quickly- it was faintly tinted red. I gulped and opened the door.

I shut it milliseconds later, and I dropped on all fours, ragged breaths escaping my lips. _No_, I thought, _no, no, no, no, no no! Oh, God._ My shock and fear kept me rooted to the spot, keeping me from going inside the bathroom to fix this mess.

Iggy came back just then, sensed where I was and crouched down next to me, rubbing my back as I coughed from fright. "Dude, what's in there?" We both knew it takes a lot to tear me down like this. I've never felt so vulnerable.

"Iggy-" I gasped.

"What, man?" he asked strongly. "What or who is so bad in there it made you collapse after seeing it?" He was desperate to know.

I struggled for breath, unable to believe what happened in that bathroom.

"Iggy….Iggy, it's Max."

**OOOOH!! Cliffie! Be warned, the next chapter or two is more intense, probably more of a T+ or M chapters. But I would like at least 20-25 reviews before I post the next one.**

**By the way: there's gonna be a flashback at the beginning of chapter 4 of what the kids saw Max and Fang doing. Also a different POV when Iggy tell the kids to go somewhere else.**

**Peace, love and…..dreams of …..yeah, I got nothing.**


	4. Chapter 4

**OMG! Thank you so much for all the reviews! I really appreciated them!**

**Also- sorry I didn't post a couple days ago…I was away and I was taken off guard when I saw how many more reviews I got! This chappie is dedicated to all who reviewed chapter 3!**

**(Gazzy POV)**

_Flashback:_

_As I pulled Iggy through the door, I silently but quickly slunk to the barely open slider door. I heard Iggy whisper something to the new girl, Alice, or something, and then he too came to where I was. "Oh, man, you guys gotta see this!" I exclaimed softly._

_It was already dark-ish outside, but we could still see Fang and Max clearly under the moonlight. We had to listen carefully because 1) it was dark and, 2) they were on the other end of their balcony, so we couldn't see them anyway._

_We leaned in closer to the minuscule opening, hardly daring to breathe. Fang spoke first. "Max, I have something to tell you." I heard him sigh, and then there was a shuffling sound. "Max, listen to me. Max! This is the most important__thing I've ever told you. Will you listen for a minute?"_

_Then silence. It was just too bad we couldn't see them 'ogling' each other. Eww; I twitched._

"_What is it you wanted to tell me, Fang?" That was Max._

"_Max," Fang began again. "I know we've been through a lot together, especially since the whole Angel thing." We all, except Alice, exchanged quick glances at each other. None of us have forgotten that day, and we never will. "Max…" he paused._

"_Here it comes," Iggy said so low I strained to hear it; an excited smile bloomed across his face, his sightless eyes sparkling._

"_Max, I love you." Way to drop a bomb Fang. I looked over at Iggy and his smile slid off his face like Jell-o on a hot car._

_Iggy looked astounded and surprised. "Well…that wasn't what I was expecting at _all_," he whispered. "We all knew he liked her, but he never told me or anyone else that he _loved_ her!" He almost hissed that last sentence, like it wasn't part of a bomb scheme we planned- variables. Grr._

_As soon as we looked out the door again, what I saw made my eyes go as wide as saucers- Max and Fang were kissing, making out. Gross._

_Iggy grabbed my shirt roughly. "Three seconds. Go."_

"_Okay, Max and Fang are kissing, a lot, and that's pretty much it."_

"_Wow, like we've never seen this coming."_

_In the corner, Nudge was giggling silently, along with Angel, both of whom were doubled over with laughter._

"_Okay, I've heard and seen enough," I stated. "That's all I needed and/or _wanted_ to see." I sat up back on the bed. "So, Iggy, who's your girlfriend?"_

"_She's not my girlfriend, Gaz. She's just a friend I met downstairs. Everyone, this is Alice."_

"_Hi, Alice," everyone said simultaneously._

"_Hi, everyone," she gave them a little wave as she sat down._

_I decided to say who everyone is since Iggy didn't know where anyone was positioned. I pointed as I ran off names. "I'm Gazzy, that's Nudge, Angel and of course you know Iggy. Max and Fang are outside." I jerked my thumb in their general direction. "How old are you?"_

"_Oh, I'm 15 like Iggy, and I'm assuming Fang and Max as well. How old are you three?"_

"_I'm 9, Nudge is 12 and Angel, who's my real sister, is 7."_

"_You guys were all 'adopted', right? Like, none of you are blood relatives except for you and Angel?"_

"_That's right." At least she understood the basics. "We kind of formed our own little group with each other where we used to live a few years ago."_

"_Where did you guys live?"_

_We all stiffened. How could we tell our story to _her_ yet?_

_Iggy saved us, grabbing Alice's hand and leading her to a free space on the floor against the wall. "I'll tell you some other time," he told her._

_We basically mingled with Alice for the next 20 minutes, also watching a cat and mouse cartoon on the TV Nudge turned on._

_It was nice, until our bubble was popped when Fang called, "Iggy!"_

_End Flashback_

**(Alice POV)**(After Iggy talked with Fang)

Iggy came back in the room looking calm, but he pulled me to the side a little roughly. "Iggy, what's wrong?" I asked him, concerned.

"Alice, I need you to do me a favor. Take this," he put 30 Euros in my hand, even though he was 'looking' at my face; it was bizarre. "And take the kids to the pool. Get them candy, pop, whatever they want! Please, I'll explain later." He pecked me on the cheek. "Will you do that for me?"

My mouth hung open, but I answered, "Yes, of course. I'll try."

"Oh, thank you so much!" He hugged me and went back into the adjoining room to join Fang.

I turned back to the younger kids. "Okay…who wants to go swimming?" Nudge and Gazzy raised their hands and started jumping up and down saying "Ooh! Me! Me!"

"Okay guys! Go get your suits on!"

A chorus of 'Yeah's and 'whoo hoo's followed my comment. I turned around to Angel on the bed. "Hey Ange, you wanna go down to the pool?"

"Yeah, I'd like that."

"Do you want me to help you get your suit on?"

"Sure."

"Okay."

Five minutes later, we were all ready, towels and all. I grabbed a room card and we headed to the stairs. I was wearing my suit under my clothes already so I could go in later after watching our stuff. I held Angel's hand while Gazzy had his arm strung through my other one as we descended. Iggy was on Gazzy's other side.

We hit the bottom floor and turned down a short hall that led to the pool. It was later at night, so there weren't too many people in the pool. We put our stuff on four chairs all in a row and Gaz and Nudge rocketed off to jump into the pool. Angel went in a little more slowly, but just as enthusiastically.

I watched them splash and play around with each other- Angel could hold her breath underwater for a long time. I was impressed.

They all played like a family- they were having so much fun. I watched with green eyes. **(A/N: like a green-eyed monster of jealousy)**

"Hey Alice!" Angel called to me, "Are you coming in, or what?!"

"Yeah, hold on!" I got up out of my chair and took off my tank and shorts, revealing my green and blue polka-dot bikini. I took a running start and yelled "Whoo!!" as I did a cannonball, dousing the kids around me.

**(Fang POV)**(Present)

As Iggy helped me up, I took deep breaths, readying myself for what was in the bathroom.

I looked at Iggy. "Be ready to get towels." He nodded once.

I gripped the door handle firmly and pushed the door open. I almost collapsed again from the sight of Max:

The bathtub was overflowing with water, Max's body submerged under the water. The worst part was that the water was a deep, crimson red, telling me that Max was bleeding- bad.

I rushed over to the tub and shut the faucet off. I then plunged my arms into the blood-red water to puck up Max out of the water bridal-style, adrenaline pouring out of my system. I couldn't look at her face because I feared she was dead.

_Here I stand, empty hands_

Iggy already had towels laid out on the floor near the foot of one of the beds. I delicately, but with speed, laid Max down on the towels; Iggy immediately started fluttering his hands over her body, cataloguing any injuries I prayed weren't there. He stopped at her left wrist- I looked down at them. There were large, deep slits on each of Max's wrists that were still bleeding.

_Wishing my wrists were bleeding_

_To stop the pain from the beatings_

I checked her breathing while Iggy tended to her cuts. She had no pulse and wasn't breathing. I was on the verge of tears- yes, the almighty 'rock', Fang, crying over Maximum Ride.

I had to start CPR.

"Iggy," he looked up. "I've got to start CPR. Do what you've got to do."

He patted my shoulder with one hand. "You, too."

I folded my hands to start compressions on Max's chest.

_There you stood, holding me_

_Waiting for me to notice you_

One…two…three…four….five….six….All the while, all I could think was, _Not Max, not Max, no, no, no, no, no!_ My heart was pounding through my ribcage at five times its normal pace as if trying to go through a lifetime of beats if I had to eventually join Max (If she was dead, which I knew she couldn't be).

28…29…30. I stopped and gave Max two _long_ breaths- she needed them more that me.

_But who are you_

As I started the next cycle, I looked at Iggy; his face was in deep concentration. He was bandaging Max's left wrist; blood was still oozing through the gauze, but at least it was slowing.

_You are the truth_

_Outscreaming these lies_

"Fang, it's all I can do with that one. I need to do her right wrist."

I understood what he meant and moved myself over Max in the time of a compression. 22…23…24…25… It was a little more difficult from the left, but all I was focused on was saving Max. I leaned down for two more breaths, but I held my lips, briefly, to her cold ones, giving her a kiss after each breath.

_You are the truth_

_Saving my life_

Iggy was still tuned out to the beginning of my meltdown, gently and with determination, holding Max's wrist as he wrapped rolls of gauze around it, blood flowing freely, making me a tad bit queasy. His sightless, foggy blue eyes were looking down; He was handling Max like a delicate China doll, afraid she would shatter even more in her condition. His care and compassion made me thankful that he was my bro.

17…18…19…20… This was the third cycle; I was terrified to continue because it would be harder to accept if she were dead.

Fifteen minutes later, Iggy was doing compressions while I did breaths. I stoked Max's cheeks in between cycles and begged her to wake up, or at least breathe. Her heart hadn't ticked one beat and both me and Iggy feared she had lost too much blood.

_The warmth of your embrace_

_Melts my frostbitten spirit_

Finally, Iggy broke our string of no-conversation. "Fang, it's been a half hour. You and me are both exhausted and a person can't survive this long in Max's condition." I knew where he was going with this. "Fang," Iggy continued. Then he took a deep breath and sighed. "I'm going for one more shot. One. More." He held up one finger. "One more and that's it. I'm praying for her, Fang. I'm praying for her to pull through. I love her too, but as a sister…Let's go," and he started the last, monumental cycle.

_You speak the truth and I hear it_

As he compressed Max's chest, I held her face in my hands and begged her to surface. "Max," I told her cold, still form. "I love you," I whispered to her desperately. "I always will love you. Please pull through this! For the flock…for me," I asked so quietly that I barely heard it myself. "Please…please, please! Max, I'm so sorry! I never meant anything bad I said to you. I only meant the good things. Please forgive me!!" Now the tears- yes, tears- spilled from my eyes, blurring my vision of my Max. A few drops landed near her, but didn't touch her.

_The words are 'I love you'_

_And I have to believe in you_

"Okay, Fang," Iggy toned in defeat, "Give it your all."

I did. I have Max two long breaths, emptying my lungs into hers, and waited. Thirty seconds…then a whole minute. I snapped. "Max!! NO! You can't leave me!!" My voice had risen and was cracking with desperation. I kissed her frantically, not believing this was happening. I pulled away, but never wanted to leave her side.

Iggy knelt down next to me and put a brotherly arm around my shoulder. "Fang," he pleaded in a whisper. I looked into his eyes. They were filled with tears too; red around the edges. "I'm sorry. We've gotta tell the others." He was right, but I didn't move. I let the tears cascade down my cheeks, tear spots appearing on my jeans where they landed.

_My hands are open _

_And you are feeling them_

I pulled Max into a sitting position so I could hug her to my chest, pick her up, and put her on a bed. I bent down, once she was lying down again, and gave her the rest of my being through the last kiss I gave her. As I stood back up, one tear fell and landed on her cheek.

_Hands in the air_

_In the air_

I collapsed on the bed opposite hers, shoving my head into the pillows as I heaved with silent sobs. Iggy was at the foot of my bed, for moral support rather than comfort- he looked like he didn't know what to do.

_In the air_

_In the air_

Eventually, my sobs became louder, and then I was crying; I kept my eyes closed as incoherent mumblings about Max escaped my lips. My cries of agony reverberated off the walls, which surprised even me because I was practically shouting through 3 or 4 pillows. It made me feel worse to hear my screams magnified in my ears.

_You are the truth_

As the tears still came, I sat up and went to Iggy and embraced him in a hug. It was a brotherly hug, but I put more meaning into it by telling him, "Thank you, Iggy," however shakily. "Thank you for all your help. Iggy, you're the best brother I could hope for and I truly love you like one. Your determination tonight was…extraordinarily amazing. I'm glad you were here, even though it didn't work ou-" I couldn't go on. I gave Iggy one more squeeze and collapsed into a heap on the bed again, praying for death to overtake me. Death would've been a blessing; at least I would be able to be with Max.

_Outscreaming these lies_

The tears soon stopped flowing and now I was convulsing with quiet sobs once again, although it was infinitely worse. I felt Iggy get off the end of my bed- probably to go get the kids. I didn't stop him. Even though I wanted to protect them from this kind of incident, it was necessary.

Iggy was just twisting the handle at the front door when I heard a short intake of breath. I assumed it was me. Max hadn't breathed in over three-quarters of an hour. But I opened my eyes to look at Iggy, whose back was rigid as a pole; his eyes, intense with adrenaline, looking at Max. He took his hand off the doorknob and came over to the space in between me and Max's beds. I looked at Max curiously as well.

_You are the truth_

Four things happened to Max's body in that moment: one- her eyes flew open; two- she started coughing while at the same time coughing up water; three- Max started sobbing hysterically. Coughing while coughing up water and sobbing/screaming at the same time must be difficult. It was a lot harder, yet more believable than when I did the fourth thing on the list: I got to hold Max in my arms again, fully alive, before she could sit up to cough out the water trapped in her lungs.

_Saving my life_

**I really hope you guys didn't think I would kill off Max!! I **_**promise**_** more romance now. I just thought this would make a great plot twist. I hope your wait was worth it!**

**That little purple 'go' button doesn't bite!! Review…Review!! Quadruple chocolate chip swirl brownies for all my reviewers of this chapter. I'll dedicate the next one to you!**

**:)**

**Lyrics: 'Red Sam' by Flyleaf**

**A/N: TWILIGHT FANS: check out the song 'There for you' by Flyleaf. If you look it up, will you tell me if it reminds you of Bella and Jacob's relationship? That's what I thought when I listened to it. It's a definite favorite.**

**BTW: there's a link on my profile for Alice's bathing suit!**

**Until next chapter, TTFN!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Hey everyone!!! I am SO (you don't even know) SORRY! I had a major writer's block, then school came around, then I got other ideas for stories (even though I haven't started them yet) so I just lost track of time. This chapter is a bit longer than the last one, and I am already started on chapter 6, so hopefully I will have that done sooner rather than later. But just to warn you….I have a paper about the assassination of President Kennedy during the next couple weeks, so that's kind of self-explanatory: I'll be busy, but anyway….**

**So, as GreenWingsz.x pointed out, the kids went swimming in a public hotel pool, and did Alice know about the wings?? So I changed the story around just a teeny bit, the kids are gonna go to the private ROOFTOP pool, and….you'll just have to see. *evil smile***

**But in any case, I'm back and I hope you like this chapter! Thank you to all who have reviewed so far…..you know who you are. *grins***

**Here it is:**

(Fang POV)

Oh. My. God. Max was alive.

As I held her, I helped her to the slider door so she could get some fresh air in my lungs.

Max immediately sank to all fours out on the balcony, coughing up the remaining lungfuls of water; tears were streaming down her face. I held my left hand just below her collarbone to support her while my right hand was rubbing gentle circles between her wings- that always calmed her down.

As Max's coughing slowed, I looked over to Iggy, who had kneeled down on her right. He had placed a hand on the small of her back, rubbing comfortably up and down her lower spine.

I glanced over the balcony's edge and out into the black-velvet night sky. The moon shone bright like a spot light, a beacon of hope.

I silently prayed to anyone who might be listening that Max would overcome this obstacle.

**(Third Person POV)**

As Max stopped coughing, she gulped in deep, welcoming breaths. She coughed one final time, and then all of her limbs collapse, becoming dead weight in Fang's arms; not that she minded. Max was content with the fact that Fang was holding her up, because one, she felt very safe in his arms, and two, well, she had no energy to even lift her head, let alone a limb.

Iggy looked with sightless eyes over toward Fang; he could almost feel the emotion radiating off of Fang. He looked toward Max and made a move to scoop her off of the concrete balcony, but Fang beat him to it- He grabbed Iggy's arm as if to say 'I've got her.'

After he picked up Max, Fang strode inside the room again, and Iggy shut the slider door behind them. Fang placed Max gently on the bed that wasn't damp, went to the closet, and retrieved a couple fresh pillows, which he placed under her head.

Her eyes were closed, but her breathing was too irregular for her to be asleep yet. She took a deep breath and rolled to her side, curling into a ball. Cold still overpowered her senses and she started shivering while her teeth started to chatter.

Fang noticed this, and with swiftness, he grabbed a blanket from one of the backpacks and draped it with feather-lightness of top of Max. Immediately, her shivering slowed and her teeth stopped chattering.

After a moment of thought, Fang turned around and approached Iggy; he had settled himself on the farthest corner of the opposite bed, his eyes staring unfocusedly at the small kitchenette near the front door.

"Hey, Ig?" Fang whispered as he slid beside Iggy on the other bed.

"Yeah, man?" Iggy replied without looking at Fang.

Fang opened his mouth to speak, but no sound came out. He gently closed his mouth and was silent for several moments. Eventually, Fang placed a hand on Iggy's shoulder; Iggy turned his head toward Fang wordlessly.

Fang soon after found his voice. "Thanks for everything, Iggy. I'd give you my life right now if it was possible."

Iggy grinned and nodded. "I don't think Max would like it, but anything for you man." He let out a small laugh.

They then proceeded to slap their palms and bump fists: their brotherly handshake. Fang was still mystified with how Iggy could still do stuff like that, blind.

Contradictory to his nature, the corner of Fang's mouth pulled up into a smile. As his midnight eyes met Iggy's piercing blue ones, Fang silently thanked God, or whoever was in charge up there.

Max stirred behind them, making the two boys jump. She groaned and then tried stretching her stiff muscles. "Fang?" she asked vaguely, whisper quiet.

_Oh my God,_ Fang thought as he rushed over to Max's bedside. "Max! Don't talk! Just rest," he soothed her, his voice as gentle as falling leaves.

Iggy knelt next to Fang with a glass full of ice water in his hand- there was a straw in the cup as well. Max took a hesitant sip, relief flowing through her as the cold water ran down her throat. She took a bigger drink, and then another. Fang gently pushed her back down on the bed, remembering how much water she had coughed up earlier.

Max sighed and slumped back against the pillow with her eyes closed. Fang carefully reached a hand up and started stroking Max's heir; his calloused hands cradled her head with feather-light touch.

Iggy sensed the touching scene and occupied himself with cleaning up the towels and water. He picked up all of the damp towels off the floor and set them in a pile near the front door. Then he went into the bathroom to try and find more towels. Finding no more in that bathroom, he made his way into the boys' room to get those towels.

With no warning, Max opened her eyes in a flash and broke down into hysterical sobs.

"Oh, Max!" Fang exclaimed while scooping her into a hug in his arms. Fan felt tears threatening to come to his eyes, but he swallowed it, creating an enormous lump in his throat. "Max, Max, Max, Max, Max," he whispered in her ear.

For a moment, neither spoke, but then Max started blubbering apologies. "I'm sorry, Fang! So sorry! Fang, Fang! I'm so, so, so sorry!" she cried, her voice muffled by Fang's shoulder.

"Shh, Max. You're alright, you're safe now." Fang pulled Max closer to him; she was practically digging her face into his shoulder.

He let Max cry herself out for a while, and eventually, Fang slowly unpeeled her from him and looked into her eyes.

As chocolate brown met midnight black, Fang asked, "Max, what _happened_?"

**(Alice POV)**(Before the incident)

Flashback:

I was sitting next to Iggy against one of the room's walls. Iggy had decided to tell me whatever he wanted to tell me. Right. Now.

Iggy hesitated before he spoke to me. "Alice, you know how you asked where we lived before?"

"Uh huh," I replied not quite knowing where he was going with this.

"If I tell you something important, like, majorly important, will you promise never to tell anyone else?"

I thought this over for, oh, I don't know, half a second, and then I said, "Yes. Absolutely." **(A/N: Alice is not evil, nor will she ever be evil in this story.)**

"Okay. Well, the fact is, we all have wings," he said bluntly.

I was shocked, confused, and kind of overwhelmed. I looked at the TV for a second and then back at Iggy…Jeff….whatever. "Oh," was all I could manage.

"Can I see them?"

"See what?" A very cute look of confusion crossed his features, but I saved him the brain power.

"Your wings! They sound awesome."

He paused, thinking it over, I guess, and then finally said, "Okay, but just one wing. The full span is over 14 feet."

"Alright."

Ig, 'Jeff', took off his windbreaker and that was when I saw the slits in his shirt and jacket. _For his wings, of course_, I thought to myself.

Slowly, he extended one wing, and I gasped. His wing was beautiful. It was a light gray, shiny, with darker gray feathers near the bottom. Wow. I extended my hand and gently started stroking his feathers. Holy crow, they were the softest things I had ever felt.

"Iggy! What are you doing?!"

The loud voice made me jerk my hand away from Jeff's wing. I looked up and it was 'Nudge' and 'Gazzy'. Jeff looked at them (with scary accuracy) with a gaze that screamed _What?_

"It's time she knows the truth," he explained.

"Okay," 'Nudge' said. "But we'll give her the short version."

_There's a _short_ story to this?_ Oh goodness. I was glad I had no parents at that moment.

'Nudge' spoke. "Okay, so we were basically created at this place called The School, an evil institution where they put avian DNA into our embryos, thus, the wings. We've been all over the world the past couple of years, flying as you can tell. Anyway, our real names are Max, Fang, Iggy, Nudge, the Gasman- don't ask- and Angel, who _are_ actually brother and sister." She had pointed to everyone, except Max and Fang, as she called off their names. However, she thundered on. "So, yeah, we have wings, and they're like, huge, and so beautiful and it's so awesome to fly, and that's basically long-story-short." The Gasman (wonderful name) had begun to his hand toward Nudge, probably to shut her up. It seemed to me like she was a talker.

Note the sarcasm.

"So," Iggy summed up. "That's basically our story. We escaped from The School when we were younger, so that's how we got to travel. But it was just always running from the hounds of hell."

I looked up at each face staring down at me. I took a deep breath and finally proclaimed, "Don't worry. You're secret is safe with me. I promise."

Everyone smiled at me, and then went back to what they were doing before. Iggy grabbed me and whispered in my ear, "So, anyway, we all have some powers- Max has superspeed, Fang can sort of turn invisible, I can 'feel' colors, Nudge can attract metal, Gazzy has the ability to mimic voices and a wicked digestive system- producing some of the 'best' noxious gas clouds to knock out our enemies." Oh. That explains the name Gasman. "And Angel can read minds, control them, breathe underwater, and kind of change her appearance." Seriously, was that all?

"Wow. Okay. I'll get back to you on that."

"Take your time."

He grabbed my hand as 'we' watched the little kids entertain each other.

A voice from the other room made Iggy and I look up. "Iggy!" someone called.

"I'll be right back," he said to me as he got up and headed into the other bedroom.

**(Max POV)**(Present)

"What happened?" Fang begged.

I took a glance at his face. His hair was extremely disheveled, like he'd had bed head and then tried tearing it out of his scalp. The whites of his magnificent eyes were bloodshot, like he'd been crying, which was probably why his face was damp. I looked down at his shirt, soaked with my tears. That reminded me that I had just bawled my eyes out, so I wiped my eyes, at which point I noticed the bandages and gauze around each of my wrists. Everything came crashing down on me. I felt myself stiffen and I took deeper breaths to keep myself from passing out.

Before I could put my arms down, Fang grabbed my wrists firmly but softly. "Max, can you please just tell me what happened?"

Iggy had walked into our room and was kneeling next to the bed **(a/n: he got done cleaning the towels/water)**, 'watching' us. I noticed that none of the kids were here. Fang sensed my unease and sighed. "Don't worry, Max. They're up at the pool," he said in a tone that ended that particular conversation.

Iggy turned his gaze toward me, listening intently, and I began my story:

"Well, um," I stuttered. "I- uh…" Well crap. I knew there was no way to go around it, so I took a relaxing breath and restarted my story.

"You both know how…unimaginably difficult our life has been the past couple years." They nodded, and I continued. "Basically, I think it's all came down on me again, and it's been a long time since that's happened, so I panicked. The voice has been nagging at me more and more, I'm always wondering about Itex, or some other insanity-based company, showing up at any moment, I've gotta worry about feeding you five while keeping you safe, and then there's mine and Fang's problem." I looked at his face and could've sworn I saw his cheeks redden a fraction of a shade. "And then, what happened on the balcony- I thought you had _left_! You can't even begin to compre_hend_ how that had affected me. You're my right hand man, the flock's 'rock', and I don't think any of us could've survived with you gone again." The last words I had said to him before he jumped reverberated in my skull: _Maybe because of that they don't deserve you._

"Anyway, after I came inside, I went to the bathroom and sat in the tub, thinking. I was so _sick_ and _tired_ of this life, this _existence_. I just couldn't handle the pressure! So without thinking, I started the water in the tub, hoping to drown myself." We all winced as I said those words. "I saw one of your dirty pairs of jeans on the floor, Fang." I almost couldn't go on at this point.

Almost.

"I looked through your pockets and found your pocketknife," I said as I drew in shuddering breaths.

"I slit my wrists because I knew I would lose a lot of blood there and I would die faster, and I'm…I'm…" I buried my face into Fang's chest out of embarrassment and the need for comfort.

"Oh, Max," Fang shushed me softly as he wrapped his arms around me, pulling me closer to him. "It's gonna be okay now."

I felt another hand rubbing my back. I looked up- it was my Igster. I put one arm out under Fang's and invited him into our hug.

"Max, Iggy helped save you," Fang told me. "If it weren't for him, you probably would've bled to death if hadn't drowned yourself first."

I had a hard time finding my voice, but managed to squeak out a "thank you" to Iggy.

"He's right, Max," The first words Iggy had spoken to me since I had become conscious. "It's gonna be alright. We've all got your back. Even the little ones." He cracked a smile, and I couldn't help but smile back.

"I'm smiling, Ig," I informed him.

It was silent for a few more moments as this little 'love-fest' was going on, but I knew we had to tell the kids.

"Hey," I began. "How 'bout I get some clean clothes on, you guys wash up, and Iggy goes and gets the kids down from the pool. I think it's time we head out for the horizon." Ha. Literally.

Five minutes later, I was in dry clothes and Iggy and Fang were blood-free. Iggy headed out the door and before he shut it, I called, "Don't forget to bring them to the _boys_' room!" The girls' room was still a disaster area.

Which left me with Fang. He was up gathering all the bloodied and soaked towels into a pile (I cringed at how much red there was everywhere).

Fang was busy a busy bee cleaning up, but I got up and walked over toward him. He saw me coming and opened his arms for me.

He kissed the top of my head- which still only came to about his shoulder- and I hugged him tight.

"I'm so sorry, Fang-"

"No, you've already said your apologies to me. I forgive you. Don't be sorry, just know that…" he paused.

"Just know what?" I asked him.

"This." And that was when his warm lips touched mine, soft as the sky. His lips weren't aggressive; it was just a nice, sweet kiss that made my insides liquefy. Mr. Personality really spike through his actions rather than his words.

We broke apart, not even breathing heavy. "I love you, Max," was all he said.

It was all I needed.

Soon, I was attached to him again, kissing him with all the passion I felt for him. He kissed me back with tenderness, and then it grew stronger, more intimate. I had my fingers strung through his beautiful, silky raven hair, and he had one hand on the back of my neck, holding our heads together with Fang-like determination; his other hand was on the small of my back, squeezing us even closer, if at all possible.

Finally, but too soon for my liking, we slowly de-attached our lips, keeping our foreheads together, breathing heavily. Oh. My. Gosh. Fang tasted, amazingly, like dark chocolate, and oh, _man_, was it good.

You don't even know.

"I love you too, Fang," I told him- appropriately enough- lovingly, and I placed another quick kiss on his angel lips.

**So there you go. I hope you guys are happy, this is eight pages in word, and took me two and a half days to type up (what with school and all). I am working on chapter six, so let's all cross our fingers for it to be out soon!!**

**Love you all! Please review, critique…etc.**

**By the way, does anyone have a Max-X account? Let me know, 'cause I do!**

**Don't forget to vote in the new poll on my page!**


	6. Chapter 6 Part I

**A/N: So I know it's been a while, but I've been busy with school and I've had a HUGE writer's block, so I haven't had time to work on it or many ideas for where this could go. I do know where the flock is going next, but if you have any suggestions or ideas for where you want the story to go, leave it in a review on this sort-of-chapter or PM me.**

**Since you all have been waiting so long for some sort of update, I've decided to post a clip from Chapter 6 here. I'm majorly, stupendously, sorrysorrysorrysorry!! I know this is a small update, but I don't really want to give much away. I've had the part of chapter 6 already written WRITTEN for a long time, but I've been to busy to type it up and/or post it.**

**Now, I'm just thinking that I might as well just post this section as part 1 of the chapter, so that I can give you all time to mull it over, so that I can write the rest of the chapter (research still has to be done for places at their next destination!)**

**I'm also working on about 4 other novels/fanfics so don't be surprised if this coming year there are less updates (more frequent than in the past, but probably more time in between them). My junior year of high school is upon me, so I have my ACT's to look forward to as well as harder classes and more homework. **

**I will let you all know when/if I will be posting the fanfics here and on fictionpress, so if you wish to read any of my stories later on when I have a good grasp on each of their plots, you can.**

**Enough of my rant and taking responsibility for my actions… ON WITH THE STORY!!! (finally!) **

_[Part 1]_

**(Iggy's POV)**

I took about six steps down the hall when my legs gave out and I slumped against a expanse of wall between two rooms. I put my head in my hands and went on autopilot. Sorrow and relief coursed through my veins, and I didn't know whether to feel exhilarated that Max was alive, or deeply saddened that she had tried to-

Anyway.

I contemplated my situation. On one hand, I could mope down here in this hotel hallway and risk looking like a crazy, deranged idiot, although the looks people would give me would be lost on me... On the other hand, I could suck it up and go upstairs to tell the kids about our present ordeal, which wouldn't end well for _anybody_.

I chose the latter, seeing as how I'm the 'mediator'. I have to be blunt with the kids if Max and Fang won't- especially when they're tangled in each other's arms. It isn't fun.

Anyway.

I pulled myself off the floor and off the wall and started toward where I knew the elevator was. I tapped the 'up' button with a little more force than necessary and waited for the arrival bell to ding.

Seconds later it chimed, resonating through the hall like a gunshot through a library. I stepped into it and searched for the keyhole to get up to the pool (you had to have a special key to get up there- they don't give out many at this hotel and it's the only way you can get up there). I found it after a second or two and inserted my key. Once I turned it, the doors closed and the elevator lurched upward; an agonizing, claustrophobia-inducing sixty seconds later, the doors reopened to the sounds of playful screams and splashes.

I followed the sounds until I was less than a foot away from the edge of the pool.

A voice called, "Oh, hey Ig!" Alice.

Her greeting was echoed by everyone else. I put on a forced smile to a chorus of "Iggy!" "What's up man?" and "Hey!"

Then I heard "Come for a little swim, Iggy?" and a split second later I found the front of my shirt speckled with warm, chlorinated pool water.

"Guys! Guys! Quit fooling around!" I started. "We've got to get downstairs. Now."

As expected, I was met with protests of "Aw, man!" and Gazzy even stated "What a party pooper" in a heavy Boston accent, which made it sound like "What a pahty poupah." Even though none of them knew about what happened downstairs- unless Angel was staying silent; in that case, good- I was still annoyed so I half-yelled at them.

"Guys, I'm serious! Sorry to ruin your fun, but Max wants a meeting with all of us." I paused. "We might be leaving."

Again my statement was getting criticized. Why can't these kids understand that it's not _my_ fault and that _I_ don't make the rules?

I waited until they got it out of their system, which took another minute, and finally said, exhaustedly, "I'm _sorry_, but come on! Grab all your stuff…let's go!" _Good going,_ I said to myself. _Way to crack the whip_.

I walked over to the elevator, waiting until the kids got there to press the button.

I felt a tug at my arm, pulling me to the side- a gentle touch that I recognized as Alice's.

"Iggy, look at me, please." She turned my face toward what I assumed was her own. "Iggy…what's going on?"

I hesitated, wondering if I should tell her the truth. So I did. "I don't know. I really don't. Let's go downstairs and find out."

She clasped my hand in hers, letting me know she was alright. "Okay, let's go."

We slipped into the elevator with the other three kids; I felt the elevator lurch downward and dreaded what awaited us back in the room.

Angel grabbed my other hand as we exited the elevator, and I felt better knowing that someone felt the same as I did.

**(Max POV)**

Fang and I sat back down on the bed, hands clasped. We looked at each other for a few seconds and then he squeezed my hand reassuringly. He flashed me his signature smile: one side of his mouth quirked up like a smirk. I felt my insides melt.

"What's the plan, Max?" Fang asked.

"You'll have to wait and find out like everyone else," I replied smartly. "Could you pack the kids' backpacks for me please? That way they won't have to see the carnage next door."

He nodded and set to work, repacking the mess of clothes scattered lazily around the other room.

I went back to the middle of our room and started pacing, wringing my hands together to calm my nerves.

Be calm Max, think calm, I thought.

_Yes, Max, _please_ be calm_, the Voice chimed in almost…almost sarcastically, and in an arrogant ordering voice.

_Oh, what? _Now _you don't want me calm? You're like a bipolar psycho-parent_.

_Max_, the Voice began, _I must tell you that I have always had your best interests in mind. I can also tell you that I am not your parent, or a loving relative; but I'm not an enemy. You must trust me_.

Once more, the voice was unfamiliar to me. It was neither male nor female, or old or young. Yet for some unknown reason, I believed it. I really believed that the Voice could help me- help us- through this. It's been with me for almost two years and it hasn't been wrong, or at least put us in situations we couldn't handle.

_Okay. If you're as trustworthy as you say you are, tell me…where should we go next?_


	7. Chapter 6 Part II

**Okay, guys. I'm REALLY sorry for the long wait. School is just really kicking my butt and I have no time for anything like this right now.**

**Before we get on with the story, I must tell you guys that this will be the last chapter of this story. I know- you're probably all ready to throw me to a pit of hungry lions right about now, but I'm SUPER DUPER sorry. I just don't feel any connection to this story anymore, and I have no idea where to go with it from here. I had some idea, but it just doesn't feel right anymore.**

**Enough sadness! Let's all just enjoy this last chapter as if it were the first!**

_[Part 2]_

_Switzerland_, it replied. _It's neutral territory._

Duh. Even _I _knew that. Over the past year, isolated from normal society, we'd all researched just about every major country in Europe, Asia, Africa, South America, and we'd even learned about Canada and Mexico. Who _didn't_ know that Switzerland was neutral?

_All right then_, I thought back carefully.

A knock on the door brought me out of my 'zone'. Fang went to answer the door and soon enough, the cacophony of my troopers' whining was heard. The little ones- Angel, Gazzy, and Nudge- stepped in front of me, still protesting; Iggy and Alice stood in the back, just as confused as everyone else.

"Hey, guys. GUYS!" I held my hands out in front of me in an effort to calm them down. "I know this is hard to understand, but it is for me, too. Okay?" They all nodded in agreement.

_One step at a time, Max._

"Okay, so we're leaving. Go get changed and meet back here." I saw them head for the other bedroom. "NO! We've got your bags here. Get changed in this bathroom." I pointed to the one in this room.

"Why?" Gazzy asked, innocently suspicious.

Several moments of silence passed and then comprehension dawned on everyone's faces except Fang's and Iggy's. I looked over at Angel and saw that she was concentrating on everyone in the room, apparently sending them a mental image of next door- probably mine or Fang's. Hopefully nothing _too_ graphic.

Angel looked at me and showed me, what I presumed, what everybody else had seen. It was one of my memories, where I was looking at the floor, the image frozen on lots of stained carpet and hotel towels.

I paused for a minute, making sure everybody was coherent. "Anyway," I began. "Go get changed; boys first, girls second. Let's get going." Iggy and Gaz headed to the bathroom to change; Alice, Angel and Nudge sat against the wall, still drying their soaking wet hair. They looked like best friends, especially Alice, looking so sisterly, and I dreaded the thought of leaving her behind.

"Hey," a voice behind me greeted. I knew it was Fang, but I couldn't look directly at him now.

"Hey," I muttered back without looking at him. I felt his warm hand gently grab my wrist, pulling me backwards toward the balcony.

Alice looked up at me, curiosity written all over her face. I mouthed "We'll be right back." She nodded in understanding- I knew I could trust her to watch the kids for a couple minutes.

We stepped outside into the chilly night air. Fang shut the slider door with a _swoosh_ and we were left in silence. It wasn't uncomfortable, but there was some sort of buzz around us, invisible bees hovering above our heads, waiting for one of us to break the silence.

Still holding Fang's hand, I stepped over to the balcony's edge and leaned against it, facing away from our room. Suddenly I felt his hand slip out of mine. Before I could turn around to ask him what was wrong, I felt his strong, wiry arms wrap around my waist, clasping his hands together right below my belly button. I laid my hands over his and finally felt at ease.

He leaned his chin on my shoulder and whispered in my ear, "Where to next?"

I answered him with "Switzerland."

"Voice?"

"Yeah. But I'm starting to trust it more and more."

I sighed deeply and looked out at the dark, peaceful and quaint little town. I actually wanted to stay here a while longer, but once housekeeping came, we'd be busted.

"I'm sorry," I said once again.

Fang exhaled deeply. "I know. I don't care about that anymore. The important thing is that you're still here. With _us_." He hesitated for a second and whispered, barely audible, "With _me_."

I turned my face so that my nose was buried in his hair and I kissed his head. He added, "Besides, we've been though worse."

I exhaled slowly, knowing that this was very true. And we just stood there, soaking up each other's presence. No words could express what needed or didn't need to be said. We were both exhausted and we just wanted silence after this day of chaos.

Then I was floating, gently down into the sweet nothingness of sleep. I felt myself slump in Fang's arms; he seemed to mumble something like, "Are you okay?" I could barely hear him- it was like there were pillows shoved in my ears, willing me to succumb to the temptation. I managed a weak "I'm just really tired," before I finally let the darkness sweep over me with a wave a fatigue.

I could've sworn I felt Fang sweep me up into his arms…

**(Fang POV)**

As I picked Max up from the balcony, I realized how tired I was as well. I trudged to the sliding glass door and tapped my elbow against it so someone would let me in. My hands were kind of full.

Seconds later, Alice stood there and opened the door. "She's exhausted," I replied simply to her wondering expression.

I set Max gently on the bed and sat next to her on the edge. Lying there, she looked heavenly, an angel waiting peacefully for a new day. She'd been through a lot today. But not just today! Ever since she was born. Since the day Erasers came and took her baby, Angel. She needs some rest.

"Hey, Fang?" Alice's voice quietly piped up.

I turned to look at her. "You should lie down," she stated. "Get some sleep. I can watch the kids for a while." She looked at me begging me to do what she asked, for my own good.

Then, sensing my moment of hesitation, she quickly spoke again. "Angel and Nudge are getting dressed and ready, Gazzy went to get some snacks from downstairs, and Iggy is finishing cleaning up in there." She jerked her thumb at the other bedroom. "I promise everything will be fine. Just take a quick nap."

I agreed with her. Besides, I knew Ig would find me if anything went wrong. So with that, I laid down next to Max, feeling the heaviness of the day's events draw me into the void that was now welcoming me with open arms. I made sure to touch my arm to one of Max's so that I would know if she was there or not. With one final nod to Alice, I was lulled to sleep by the sound of Max's beautiful breaths.

**And so it ends. I feel really bad about ending it. I really wish I could continue it for you (my fans). You are my everything; you are what inspire me to write my stories, but nothing about this story appeals to me anymore.**

**It probably doesn't help that Jimmy Patts has cranked out two more books since I started writing this. I just don't feel like I can go on anything now that I know what's happened since **_**The Final Warning**_**. Wow that was a LONG time ago.**

**Don't get me wrong, I am still IN LOVE with these books, but this story is officially running out of steam.**

**I love you all and I will post anything on here if I'm gonna start writing on fictionpress or another story of fanfiction. I've got a bunch of stuff I want to get down in writing.**

**It's been a wonderful journey, and I will never forget you all. My first fans! You'll always be in my heart and I really do love you all (and yes I know I just said that up there, but it's really true!)**

**Until we meet again… **

**Peace, love, and more love. =)**


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